Knights of Gjallarhorn
by G2BattleConvoy
Summary: Gjallarhorn. The defensive force of the Earth's government is still powerful even after 300 years of peace at the end of the Calamity War. They have brought down minor insurrections before, but what happens when the Maiden of Revolution joins with Tekkadan and a long-lost Gundam-Frame? Why, naturally, they must put this revolution down as soon as possible.
1. Prologue: The End of An Era

**Hello, dear readers. G2BattleConvoy here once again with something a little bit different. Basically, my other ongoing project is taking a while to develop, so I thought of something a little bit different.**

 **This little creation I have is the start of an Iron-Blooded Orphans fic (there's only one other of that series, so shame on you, fellow Gundamaniacs) that is supposed to focus on Gjallarhorn, the antagonistic faction of that series. I suppose that their 'knightly' aesthetic had won me over, so yeah.**

 **May I present the prologue to this little take on the Post Disaster universe of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Knights of Gjallarhorn!**

* * *

 **The End of an Era**

It is said that the Calamity War was the ultimate conflict to ever be part of the history of the human race. Legends and myths suggest that billions lost their lives to the conflict that encompassed not only Earth, but also Mars as well. There are some that suggest that the War had battles take place near Jupiter, almost out of reach of the Earth Sphere Government that had been losing control of Earth at that point in time.

Much of the old territories had been reconfigured in more ways than one during the conflict; even a region of Australia had been wiped completely off the map thanks to a massive impact. No one knows why that happened, nor do they care.

However, the war that happened 300 years ago, that had consumed many lives, that brought once monumental cities to ash, and had almost brought humanity to extinction had to end at some point. This is the time that Gjallarhorn would rise, and become the premier protectors of humanity.

They say it started with 72 machines. Machines that resembled titanic warriors and had power that could be compared to gods. Every single machine of that line varied differently, in appearance and strength and was perfectly tuned to the standards of the brave men and women that piloted these massively powerful Mobile Suits during the final stages of this great bloody conflict. Their collective name: Gundam.

The Gundam-Frames were supposedly the prized jewels of the Gjallarhorn regiment codenamed 'Goetia.' Each one had a capability to bring an entire army down individually, and their efforts essentially ended the war. The names of these weapons: Barbatos, Gusion, Kimaris, Zepar, Astorath; all would fall into legend in the years after the world had reformed itself into four economic bloc that would be under the protection of Gjallarhorn; the ultimate peacekeeping force of the Post-Disaster Era.

Seven of the families that served in the Calamity War would become the Seven Stars, the leading clans of Gjallarhorn itself, and they would happily use their influence to ensure that humanity would never be threatened by a second Calamity War.

To this day and age, even though Ahab Reactors are still a fundamentally useful piece of technology, Gjallarhorn still limit them rather forcefully, extending to their powerful arsenals of Mobile Suit and battle fleets, and ensuring they stay in power. The Gundam-Frames may have fallen into legend, but every human being knows of the importance of the role that Gjallarhorn found themselves in at the final days of the Calamity War.

However, there are some that believe that the governments of Earth, such as the Oceania Federation, Arbrau, the Strategic Alliance Union and the African Union are forcing too much control onto the backwater regions of Mars. So it falls to Gjallarhorn to put an end to this resistance movement before the 'Maiden of Revolution' inspires the civilian populace to rise up against Earth's so-called 'tyranny.'

But, will Gjallarhorn persevere and bring these rebels to justice, or will they fall from their battles with 'Tekkadan?'


	2. Chapter 1: The Heat of Martian Soil

**Hello dear readers. I have a new chapter here, starting off naturally at Episode 1. I plan to cover Gjallarhorn's endeavours from beginning to end, with the chapter starting off with our two favourite Gjallarhorn characters, McGillis Fareed and Gaelio Bauduin! The only major difference here is that this also gives a brief introduction to Specialist-Captain Michael Tapferin, my OC for this universe.**

 **I figured as well to fill out the rest of the chapter with the attack on the CGS, but from Gjallarhorn's perspective, as this attack helps kick off the plot with Tekkadan. So, without further ado, let's RAISE OUR FLAG!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Heat of Martian Soil**

"I can understand that they would want us to keep an eye on Terran assets, McGillis. But _Mars,_ huh? As a colony it's a planet whose resources are all used up. Must a Gjallarhorn inspector be there?" Specialist-Major Gaelio Bauduin pondered as the Biscoe-class cruiser the three inspectors were currently on slowly glided through the depths of Gjallarhorn-controlled space.

"Are frontier operations boring you, Gaelio?" McGillis asked his blue-haired comrade after confirming a transmission from Ariadne. Unlike his more forthcoming friend, McGillis Fareed was always someone who tended to speak only when he deemed necessary, especially in regards to Gjallarhorn operations.

The third Gjallarhorn officer that accompanied them, Michael Tapferin, could only joke, "If he doesn't like Gjallarhorn inspections on Mars, imagine what he'd say if we had to go to the _Jupiter_ regions?" While McGillis and Gaelio would respectively be cool-headed and honest, Michael would always carry himself as a friendly enforcer of Terran rule who would joke around every now and again. However, while Gaelio was leaning on McGillis' chair, he would stand with his hands behind his back on Major Fareed's left.

"As if. I _will_ work hard as an officer of the inspector division, Specialist Major McGillis. And Captain Tapferin, I'm amazed you can joke around on a mission like this."

While the young redhead Specialist-Captain could only shrug at Gaelio's comment, McGillis added as he stood up from his command chair, "The current economy of Earth Sphere depends upon that used-up colony. For them to continue contributing to Earth Sphere as they are now, the Mars Branch must straighten themselves up to be a part of Gjallarhorn, keepers of the world order." As he said this, he started fiddling with the strand of hair that dangled over his face, a sign that he was deep in thought.

"To be honest, I kind of feel sorry for them," added Michael as he crossed his arms. "They don't exactly have the same level of field equipment as the main Earth fleets."

"No, but the push for independence is spreading across all of Mars. Perhaps we don't have time to worry about others," McGillis pointed out.

"Aren't we supposed to just inspect the base, Major?" Michael asked, out of curiosity. He had read the reports of protests on Martian soil, just like any other Gjallarhorn member who was assigned to this planet, but he couldn't help but feel slightly curious at McGillis' choice of wording.

"My, my, Michael, have you forgotten already? We've been trained in Mobile Suit combat, there's no need to be on edge," Gaelio offered as his consultation. "If anything does go wrong, then we'll be the ones directly foiling this threat."

"If you say so, Specialist-Major Gaelio."

* * *

"The regular transmission with headquarters is done," one of the bridge officers said a few hours later as Michael returned from practicing in the MS simulator that was built into all Gjallarhorn Mobile Suits as a way to keep their soldiers on their toes, and as the Biscoe-class craft passed the spatial transponder that kept Gjallarhorn connected to their frontier divisions.

"How annoying it is to need the transponder to communicate at all," Gaelio admitted just after they had passed the large artificial construct that resembled two spinning tops placed together, flat-to-flat, with six antennae facing off with one in each direction, with the centre of the transponder giving off a bright blue colour.

"The Ahab Reactor creates energy that not only powers this ship but makes it possible to live in space. We have no choice but to ignore some of the downsides," McGillis offered to explain to his brash counterpart.

"But that's why Earth has trouble seeing this far, and makes more work for us inspectors," the blue-haired Major complained. "This was practically the cause of the war 300 years ago, right?"

"You're forgetting that the reason Gjallarhorn has an inspection division in the first place is to prevent a Calamity War-level event from happening again, Major Bauduin. If we don't check in with our frontier forces frequently, then Gjallarhorn would fracture, support would break down, and we would have a large conflict on our hands," Michael shot back at his superior.

"Captain Tapferin does speak truly, Gaelio. The thing to remember is, though, it is hard to let go of a power once you obtain it. Humans are stubborn like that. Even it could destroy themselves," McGillis suggested as he closed his fist, symbolising the self-destructive potential that any human could accidentally gain with their newfound power.

* * *

On the surface of the red planet, a regiment of Gjallarhorn forces had been called down to eliminate a potential target. Not one officer knew why Coral Conrad had decided to deploy three Mobile Suits and a platoon of Mobile Workers on a simple assassination mission, but no-one could argue that there was no kill like overkill.

Two of the soldiers assigned to eliminate the night watch were carefully picking off their targets. Of course no mission could ever be that easy, as they would soon realize.

"Okay, that's that one cleared. Next," said one trooper after putting a bullet through one of the child soldiers' brains before noticing the tiny little white orb that was a signal flare; indicating enemy attack. The two of them could only be described as dumbfounded, even behind their light armour helmets that obscured their eyes.

"Well, crap, Captain Stenja's gonna be pissed," said the trooper manning the gun. His companion could only nod in agreement.

"Tch, they failed already. I'm going to toss the lousy snipers in the brig," the hot-headed dirty blond Captain complained as he noticed the flare from within his Graze's cockpit. His former mentor, Crank Zant, knew better on how to respond to the situation.

"Wait, Orlis. Be calm," he tried to suggest, but it was too late. Orlis was already giving the order to begin the assault.

"Alright, then. All forces, commence attack!" As soon as the word was given, a small team of Mobile Workers let loose with a few hails of missiles targeted at the base where their target was supposedly hidden; a relatively shoddy military complex that belonged to a meagre security company. They landed, pounding the ground with high-explosive material that may have been powerful enough to punch through armour.

It was a full two minutes before the enemy responded with their Mobile Workers, firing defensive salvos. But it wasn't long before the crimson Mobile Workers belonging to Gjallarhorn pressed forward, with their high-calibre guns punching through the aged models that the enemy was using.

Not to say that the security company were overwhelmed, though. Some of the primitive Workers were actually disabling the NK-17 units that the Terran military force employed. One particular Mobile Worker was chopping up the advance squad by bobbing and weaving around them, doing damage as he went.

"Squad 4, watch for that white Mobile Worker. It managed to chew through Squad 2. Squad 1, press forward. Don't let them overwhelm you. Squad 5, where the hell is that support fire?"

"Apologies, Captain. Units 1 through 4 are out of ammunition. We have to pull back; otherwise we'll get caught out by the enemy."

"Tch, fine then. Squad 3, see what you can do about that white Mobile Worker. I want them dead, you hear me?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" As they reconfigured their attack pattern, the enemy's Mobile Workers fell one by one. The white and pink units decided to pull back, lest they run out of ammunition. For child soldiers, they were doing surprisingly well.

Ein Darlton, the rookie Mobile Suit pilot assigned to Orlis' team noticed several red specks of ignited magnesium somewhere on the horizon, to the west. "Captain Orlis, I see enemy flares, southwest of our assault force. What do we do?"

"Squad 3, reprioritize to enemies sighted on our Western flank! With any luck, we'll eliminate these space rats before the morning!"

"Shit, Unit 3-3's been blown apart! Landmine field up ahead!"

"Fine, then! Zant, Darlton, now we make our move!" The aggressive Captain ordered before firing a high-velocity round from his Graze's rifle first at the southwesterly forces, before firing another shot near the centre of the enemy forces. Afterwards, he used his Graze's thrusters to glide over a wrecked Mobile Worker before landing on the decrepit ground and kicking away at another Mobile Worker that just happened to be in his way.

The green commander-use Mobile Suit then stood tall, brandishing an axe in his left hand and a rifle in the other, its single slit-like optical sensor looking around for any more targets. He then proceeded to hurl abuse at his troops once more, though the Graze's external speaker this time.

"Why is it taking so long to neutralize such a facility? All Mobile Workers will now get a pay cut!" Behind him, two more standard-issue Grazes joined him, both containing Crank Zant and Ein Darlton respectively.

Crank contacted his former student through the communication system, a little concerned with the Captain's course of action. "Orlis! Why did you fire? Our objective is—"

"Shut up," Orlis quickly replied, without even glancing to his mentor on the screen beside him. _"I_ am the commander. If the objective is so important, _you_ go retrieve it. Ein, you too."

The young recruit could only say, "Yes, sir," as due respect to the chain of command.

"Wipe them out!"

While the Mobile Workers' efforts were valiant, the losses that they suffered were amassing dramatically thanks to the humanoid counterpart that belonged to Orlis Stenja. They were destroyed either by a swing of the Graze's axe or the heavy rifle that fired 120mm rounds. Orlis was having the time of his life, comparing the Mobile Workers to nothing more than bugs. As he continued firing on the hapless Mobile Workers, Ein and Crank could only watch.

"Lieutenant Crank, Captain Orlis…" Ein could only say before Crank voiced his opinion.

"Leave him," the grizzled officer could only say as he sat in his Graze with his arms folded. "If we had deployed sooner, we would have not had so many casualties." He punctuated his statement by tightening his hands into fists.

Orlis continued his assault on the enemy, and even went so far as to damage the watch tower that the enemy facility had with the shots from his MS rifle. One foolish Mobile Worker had attempted to charge him before being kicked away by a massive foot. The impact had completely decimated the Worker.

It wasn't long before he found the next target. When his Mobile Suit glanced at the new Mobile Worker, the Graze's head opened up to reveal a sensor that identified a white-haired boy sitting atop the Worker. In response, Orlis asked through the external speaker, "Are you the one in charge?" in a mocking tone. On this assumption, he started taking shots at the Mobile Worker, which was barely missing the ground's eruptions brought by the wrath of the Graze Commander-Type. After firing a few shots, he activated his thrusters to give chase up one of the hills.

The other Mobile Workers had stopped suddenly as well, as the Graze almost closed in on the Mobile Worker. Orlis was laughing in glee as he raised his axe in preparation for decimating their apparent commander. But then something unexpected happened.

The ground had burst open on Orlis' flank, and a giant triangular-shaped mace with several sharp points swung forth from an apparently unidentified Mobile Suit. The unknown entity had then proceeded to smash the mace into Orlis' Graze, destroying not only him and his cockpit, but also jarring loose the housing of the sensor pod. Once the Graze was destroyed, the unknown Mobile Suit had taken its weapon out of the Graze's mangled chassis and just rested. It looked somewhat majestic, for it had a somewhat knightly appearance to it; however it was lacking shoulder armour and had an unexplained addition to its left arm. Its colour scheme was a combination between white and blue with a few golden details all across its frame. Its head was adorned with a crown-like headpiece.

Being Gjallarhorn's witnesses to this turn of events, Ein and Crank had one common question to ask.

What the hell was that Mobile Suit?

* * *

 **So, yeah, Orlis was a bit of a jerk during his brief venture as a Graze pilot. Good thing Barbatos saved the day. Of course, this will no doubt have consequences for Coral Conrad above Mars' Orbital Base.**

 **Stay tuned for more on Iron-Blooded Orphans: Knights of Gjallarhorn.**


	3. Chapter 2: Child Soldiers

**Hello, readers, G2BattleConvoy back again with another chapter of Knights of Gjallarhorn. Needless to say, I managed to get 3,578 words out of this one, though that's probably because I had a lot more of Gjallarhorn-centric scenes to work with. So, to start off, before we continue with the second half of the return of Gundam Barbatos (Lore-wise, anyway), we're starting off with something a little bit different.**

 **Also, I kinda felt the need to put in a couple more OC's, because someone's got to comment on the state of Ein's Graze anyway. Poor kid.**

 **Anyway, let's get on with Chapter 2 and let's RAISE OUR FLAG!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Child Soldiers**

Within an asteroid field, out in space, a lone scarlet and white Mobile Suit emerged into a relatively large clearing, hitting the reverse thrusters to check its surrounding. The Suit itself was a modified Graze, sporting a head piece which would resemble the Roman soldiers of old as well as reinforced shoulder armour with integrated manoeuvring thrusters, of which was coloured red like the rest of the Mobile Suit, with muted yellow and white detailing. This Graze had particularly favoured a broadsword as opposed to the standard Graze's axe, while being outfitted with a shoulder-mounted missile rack and heavy cannon. It also had the standard 120mm rifle that most Grazes would actually use.

The pilot of this custom Graze opened up its head, revealing its sensor module to provide a more accurate and detailed scan of its surroundings, before noticing another Mobile Suit making a very aggressive charge towards the red unit. This particular Graze unit was actually an EB-05s Schwalbe Graze, Gjallarhorn's predecessor unit for the Graze that was deemed too powerful for the standard Gjallarhorn pilot, and so instead was only meant to be given to some of the more capable commander-pilots. What made the Schwalbe Graze differ from the standard Graze was not only the vertical slit being swapped for a more traditionally-humanoid helmet design, but also the extra amount of thrusters that was installed on its shoulders and shins. This particular unit was piloted by Specialist-Major Gaelio Bauduin, and his Schwalbe Graze was equipped with both a custom lance and a wire claw meant to ensnare enemy units. It was also coloured purple.

Just before Gaelio could close in on his target, the opponent's Graze let loose a salvo of missiles that detonated prematurely, obscuring Gaelio's vision and forcing him to fire the reverse thrusters. His opponent took this as an opportunity to close in, flank the purple lance-equipped unit and draw his broadsword, but when the smoke cleared, and before he could strike down the Gjallarhorn inspector's prized unit, Gaelio brought up his wire claw arm, firing it in an attempt to pin him to an adjacent asteroid. But the enemy managed to dodge the claw and cut the wire, making the weapon unusable and a piece of deadweight. He then moved to start firing from his rifle and shoulder-mounted cannon to try to disorient the Schwalbe before attempting a charge of his own.

Gaelio, however, commanded his Mobile Suit to go behind another asteroid, masterfully avoiding the shots fired by the adversary, who decided to give chase. Being tuned specifically for high-mobility, it wasn't long before the sword-wielding combatant had lost sight of him.

"What the…? Where've you gone, Bauduin?" the pilot of the red Graze asked, after getting no results from another scan made by the Graze's eye sensor. His answer was given shortly when he was alerted to Gaelio charging at him with his lance.

"A pilot never reveals their strategy to the enemy, Tapferin!" responded the aggressive Major, intently charging towards his subordinate's cockpit.

Because Gaelio's flank caught the red Graze pilot off guard, Michael could only get his broadsword pointed at the Schwalbe Graze's cockpit before they collided, disabling both Mobile Suits and essentially making the duel a tie.

* * *

" _Mobile Suit Simulation Test 10-31-323PD-6/GSC-976/B; EB-05s, Gaelio Bauduin versus EB-06ra, Michael Tapferin; complete; Final score, tie."_

In the Biscoe-class cruiser's hangar, Michael and Gaelio respectively climbed out of their Mobile Suits, before making their way to the overlooking balconies by simply floating, simply because the low gravity more or less made the engineers' and mechanics' work even easier and thus more convenient for everyone within the hangar. Normally, artificial gravity was generated by the Ahab Reactor built within the ship, but certain sections had to be shielded from the Ahab Reactors' effects.

"Can I just say, defeating each other at the exact same time in the simulator is… not what I expected, because I genuinely believed that you won once that lance hit my cockpit, Gaelio," admitted Michael who had just finished climbing out of his red-white-and-yellow Graze before joining Gaelio on the catwalks. Both of them were in their pilot suits; naturally any combat simulation needed to mimic real combat conditions as best as possible.

Gaelio offered as a reply, "Actually, I'd say you had a fair chance of winning, especially how you managed to disable one of my weapons with that custom Graze Ritter of yours. Speaking of which, how did you manage to get one of those? Aren't they usually an Outer Earth Orbit Regulatory Joint Fleet unit-type?"

"You know, I never really looked into it. I think that the Issue family must have owed my father something, since all I was told was that he had it sent over to me and he couldn't even bother to say why I was given it. I guess our families can pull off some really weird stunts." He admitted this as he looked over the three Graze units that shared the hangar/cargo space. Aside from the slight differences in colour and armaments, Gaelio and McGillis's units were virtually the same Schwalbe Graze, making Michael's Graze Ritter unit the odd one out. Originally, his family were part of the founding Seven Stars, but their accomplishments after the Calamity War weren't as noteworthy as the Bauduin or Fareed clans; at least not until recently where a minor anti-insurgency operation had let the Tapferins fall in favour with the Bauduins and the Fareeds.

"I sympathise with you, Captain. My sister has apparently been put into an arranged marriage scheme by my family, but I seriously do not think she's ready for something like that," the blue-haired Major agreed.

"Why's that, Major?"

"Let's just say it's complicated. Anyway, let's head back to the bridge. McGillis is probably wondering where we are. We wouldn't want him thinking we're willing to spend all week in the simulator."

"Understood, Specialist Major."

* * *

While the situation regarding McGillis's team may seem rather routine and thus mundane, on the surface of Mars, near an insignificant complex, it was anything but. Second Lieutenant Ein Darlton and his superior, First Lieutenant Crank Zant looked on at the Mobile Suit that had managed to make quick work of their commanding officer, Captain Orlis Stenja.

"It can't be… Captain Orlis has… ," Ein could only say before blurting out, "We weren't told about Mobile Suits being here!" That much was certainly true; both men were understandably shocked since all intelligence reports pointed to this security corporation having nothing but Mobile Workers. Now, they would have no choice but to adapt to this unexpected change on the battlefield.

 _Orlis…_ Crank thought as he looked at the wreck that was formerly Captain Stenja's Mobile Suit. Whatever that Mobile Suit that killed him was, it was clearly a threat, and they had to complete the mission. So he prepared his Graze to move forward.

Ein, noticing this, called out, "Lieutenant Crank?"

His mentor simply replied, "Ein, back me up." Before long, both Grazes started moving to tackle this Mobile Suit, with Ein giving a rather enthusiastic confirmation.

Before the enemy Mobile Suit could start moving, Crank sent out an order to the Mobile Worker forces that were still there. "Mobile Worker squads, start falling back to the base. We'll try and take on this Mobile Suit." Crank had planned to charge the sole enemy MS with Ein in the rear, considering the rookie's Graze had both the standard axe and rifle combination, as opposed to Crank's axe being the sole weapon on his Graze. "I'm not letting you get away!" His Graze then stopped upon realizing the enemy's tactics. "He's going that way?"

"I'll stop him here!" Ein called out before raising his rifle to fire at the Mobile Suit's anticipated location. What he failed to realize, though, was that there was a very good reason why the enemy was moving in that direction.

"Wait, not over there!" Crank ordered to his student, hoping he would have enough patience to realize his mistake. It was a good thing that he did.

Ein then gasped in surprise, "The retreating Mobile Workers of our forces?!" As it happened, the enemy white and blue Mobile Suit was proceeding to plant itself right in the middle of the retreating group, no doubt causing more losses for the strike team. As soon as this happened, the rookie Second Lieutenant had growled out through his external speaker, "You! How cowardly of you to attack for Mobile Workers!" He then charged at the enemy, with his axe raised. The enemy had responded to also charge forward in kind.

"Ein, wait for me," the veteran officer tried to tell his subordinate, before he was interrupted for the second time today.

"I can do it! Even with no rifle, I can get him!" While that plan was mostly sound, the two Gjallarhorn soldiers probably did not anticipate the enemy pilot _throwing his mace-like weapon as though it were a javelin._ Thankfully, Ein deflected the projectile with a deftly timed swing from his axe. This action had brought his Graze to a stop.

"He threw his weapon?" he questioned to no one in particular, before he realized, "He is…" which ended up in the enemy knight-like Mobile Suit grabbing the deflected weapon in midair, using the momentum created by the weapon's movement to make a clean slash through Ein's Graze's left arm, making his axe unusable.

The impact kicked up a large cloud of Martian dirt, which allowed Crank to move in with his Graze, managing to lock his axe's blade with the enemy's mace. "I don't know where you got it from. But with such an old Mobile Suit, you think _you_ could beat a _Graze of Gjallarhorn_?" Crank asked his opponent through the external speaker, while scanning the suit with the Graze's head eye sensor.

His opponent simply answered through his external speaker, "But it seems one is already dead." Now Crank didn't realize he'd be fighting child soldiers, especially one as capable as piloting a Mobile Suit such as this. He'd simply thought that the forces they were 'fighting' mere minutes ago were just random security personnel. Still he couldn't help but voice his surprise.

"That voice… Could it be that you're _a child?"_

"You bet. So are all you've killed… And the ones…" the child pilot answered before pushing forward with his Mobile Suit's legs. Crank in comparison could barely hold back and closed his Graze's head while he was pushed back.

"I am losing by strength!"

"…who will kill you all," the young enemy pilot finished his statement with. Crank then realized that he would probably have no choice but to try and disable this Mobile Suit, even if he had no wish to fight children.

"Lieutenant Crank!" Ein called out before firing a few shots from his rifle in an attempt to push the enemy Mobile Suit back. It worked, to a certain extent; the Mobile Suit did indeed move away from Crank, but the next two shots all but missed. "No!" the rookie yelled out in frustration.

"What great reaction speed," Crank said to himself before noticing that the white and blue Mobile Suit's thrusters had somewhat faltered. It managed to recover into a landing by digging itself into a relatively small trench with its feet, and then kicking up a small field of Martian dust with its mace.

Ein was still locked on with his rifle and was ready to pull the trigger, "I can still aim if I'm this close," before Crank stated a warning to the rookie pilot.

"Below you!" The enemy Mobile Suit had used the dust as a cover to dash in low and shoot straight up, which resulted in the giant mace completely shredding the helmet casing protecting the head-sensor, with the sensor itself being surprisingly intact. Crank took this as an opportunity to fire his Mobile Suit's thrusters, resulting in another impromptu field of Martian dust, but also allowed him to carry Ein's Graze away from danger.

"Are you alright, Ein?" the older First Lieutenant asked, clearly concerned about the injuries Ein may have suffered from that last hit.

"Yes, but…"

"We will retreat."

"What?" Ein asked in disbelief, wondering why they had to retreat from an enemy when they were still numerically superior to him.

"His thrusters seem faulty. The remaining Mobile Workers have reached safety. We only have now," Crank explained, still hiding the resentment he had for attacking a group of vulnerable children, despite their military training.

"But—"

"Retreat."

Thankfully, the enemy Mobile Suit did not give pursuit while they headed back to the surface base, not realizing that they were the first of Gjallarhorn to take part in a conflict that would no doubt re-shape the Solar System.

* * *

"What, you _failed_?"

" _Captain Orlis Stenja has died. We lost a third of our forces and a Graze. We had to retreat,"_ Lieutenant Zant reported to Major Conrad from Gjallarhorn 3rd Base on the surface of Mars, through a direct channel to Conrad's office aboard Ares, the orbital platform that Gjallarhorn also possessed in Mars' orbit.

"Don't fool with me!" Conrad furiously growled out as he slammed his fist on his desk, while staring intensely at a short report on his chosen target, Kudelia Aina Bernstein. The way his face was twitching may have been a warning that a vein was going to burst in his mad fit of frustration _How could this be? The leader of the Martian independence movement, Kudelia Aina Bernstein, was to be killed_ gloriously _in action from our attack. Having lost their heroine, Mars goes into further turmoil and strengthens their hate towards Earth. It was supposed to be_ like that, he thought to himself as he performed a head-desk, clearly at a state of panic as well. Despite it all, he still kept rather calm.

 _Support money from Nobliss will be done for. Furthermore, if we have lost a_ Mobile Suit… "When will Specialist Major Fareed and his inspection team arrive?" he then asked the soldier flanking him as part of protocol.

"Sir, in two days."

"Listen. Capture Kudelia _no matter what_ by then. And erase _all evidence_ of the battle! The enemy as well!" the red-uniformed officer ordered. If Major Fareed or any of his subordinates found out about his connection to Nobliss Gordon, he could very well be tried for corruption and abuse of Gjallarhorn assets approved by the Earth State governments. At this point, he felt that as the commander of the Martian division, he had really screwed up. The only reason why he took the opportunity to kill Norman Bernstein's daughter anyway was because of two reasons: Norman Bernstein himself came to Orbital Base Ares to personally request the Major to 'help her be remembered as an eternal icon of the people,' and also because it was at the request of Nobliss as well, whose motives weren't exactly a priority to the corrupt Major.

"That's—," Crank tried to say, but was cut off by Conrad almost immediately.

" _What_?"

"The enemy were… children," Crank argued as he once again clenched his fist. Not too far away from his position, Ein was being treated for his injuries along with the other Mobile Worker personnel who survived the counter-attack by that unknown Mobile Suit. Crank was still uneasy about the whole thing.

Conrad merely scoffed at his excuse, "Children?You just sat there and were beaten by _brats?!"_

At this point, Crank snapped, "CHILDREN!" The outburst promptly attracted the attention of the various personnel spread around the hangar who were trying to figure out how to approach the issue of repairs to Ein's Graze. "I _cannot_ fight against child soldiers. I do not think that they are fighting on their own will."

"Don't be so _soft._ Who cares if they _are_ kids?" Conrad refuted, standing up to face the enlarged screen behind him that displayed Crank's face as well as the desk-mounted computer screen. "Eliminate every single one of them; _that_ is an order! There will be no more failures allowed!" By the end of his short rant, Conrad was pointing his finger threateningly at Crank's enlarged image, and was considerably mad.

Crank, however, just grit his teeth, and at this very moment, loathed his commanding officer's callous attitude to the existence of child soldiers.

* * *

"What the hell happened to this Graze? Its arm looks like it's been ripped off, and the head casing is completely gone! Does Command know of any insurgents that can punch through NL* armour like that?" a Gjallarhorn engineer asked his comrade while surveying the damage on the Graze that belonged to Second Lieutenant Darlton.

"Uh, no? As far as I'm aware, most of this planet's military strength, especially not Gjallarhorn-supported assets usually rely on Mobile Workers, and even those don't make any difference," his comrade answered while checking inventory on the ammunition and supplies used by both Mobile Workers and Mobile Suits. Apparently, today's operation was going to cost a lot of supply funding, if the figures were correct.

"Tsk, I bet the Chief knows something. Why else would he withhold information on what went down?" the bespectacled engineer pondered while fumbling around with a toolbox.

"Uh, I don't think we even _have_ the clearance, Barto—"

"Dylandy, Erdest, get back to work! We don't enlist people like you so that you can slack off on this planet!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

Not much happened after that for the next two days. Military Engineer Barto Dylandy and Weapons Specialist Gerald Erdest were just about making due on the repairs to Ein's Graze. They reported to Lieutenant Hera Mercury that with the supplies that was requested from the Orbital Base Ares arriving within the next day, they would have the Graze fixed up within the week.

At the locker room, where officers would change their clothes, Ein decided to talk to Crank. As far as the medical staff were concerned, Ein was free to walk around the base, but was advised against using a Mobile Suit until he was declared fully healed.

"You won't take any of the troops?"

"No, I will go alone," his mentor simply answered.

But Ein couldn't help but protest, "No way; even 3 of our machines were no match for them." Considering how that battle resulted in a crippled Graze and a moderately damaged Graze that was successfully salvaged, Ein for the most was right. Because it was his first mission, his ego was left rather bruised.

"I had underestimated them. I won't make the same mistake," Crank countered yet again, while putting on his gloves. Not even once did he turn to face his student.

"Then at least, take me with you—"

"If you come with your injuries, you'll only be a burden," Crank sternly told him. At that statement Ein was taken aback.

"But…"

"To fight children…" Crank let slip, which Ein took notice of.

"Lieutenant Crank?"

"Please, let me go by myself," he politely requested as he turned to face his student. I do not want to bring you disgrace as soldiers."

"Lieutenant Crank," Ein could only say. Crank cared very much for the soldiers in his command, almost like sons, unlike a certain Major who just lounged around in his orbital base. It was an attribute that should have had more use in Gjallarhorn's current ranks.

 _I do not want to fight. But if I have no choice but to fight…,_ he admittedly thought as he looked at the small medal in his hand.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the docking port of the Ares Orbital Base, Specialist-Majors McGillis Fareed and Gaelio Bauduin, as well as Specialist Captain Michael Tapferin, were greeted by none other by Major Coral Conrad and a small group of junior officers.

"Thank you for coming this way, Specialist Majors, Fareed and Bauduin and Specialist-Captain Tapferin," Conrad greeted the inspectors with a rather polite demeanour.

Gaelio politely responded, "It has been a while, Major Coral."

"It is a bit cramped here, but I have prepared a little party. Get some rest and soothe the fatigue of travel," Coral offered. Tapferin perked his head up at this polite gesture, thinking it was rather odd that Coral would go out of his way to prepare a party for the sake of a routine inspection. If the other two inspectors were thinking the same way, they didn't show it.

"Thank you for your hospitality," McGillis kindly responded. Coral however was not finished.

"If I can be any help, do not hesitate to ask. We can prepare any necessary data—" At this, McGillis raised a gloved hand in an attempt to gain the Major's attention.

"Please let us do the inspection at our own discretion. I appreciate the kindness."

"Y-you are right. You should do as you please. Let me show you around," With Coral's unusual response, the Gjallarhorn group moved down the boarding tube to start the tour of Orbital Base Ares. "Hey. Is it all prepared?"

"Yes, sir." While the party continued down the tube, Gaelio decided to voice his opinion to the other two, only so that the inspectors themselves could hear.

"It's all so busy around here. It clearly says that they are trying to hide something."

"The question is what, though?" Tapferin pondered as McGillis analysed the suspicious Major. "And who throws a party for _inspectors?"_

 _Damn, these young ones,_ Conrad thought to himself. _Crank, do your job properly._

* * *

 **And with that we bring Chapter 2 to a close. I actually came up with the idea of Gjallarhorn having built-in simulators into their units, thanks to Teiwaz having them, so I then thought, if Teiwaz can have them, then why not Gjallarhorn?**

 **Also, there's a reason why Michael's custom Graze Ritter is red; more on that later. The weapon systems, however? Blame the Graze Kai's Bazooka Gun on that one.**

 *** Nano-Laminate Armour, basically armour reinforced with a static field created by an Ahab Reactor which makes anything short of a smoothbore cannon completely useless.**

 **Shout-out to Moose-Patrol for following my fic. Thanks, friend, hope you like this chapter.**

 **And with that, I shall see you guys later!**

 **G2BC out!**


	4. Chapter 3: Gundam

**Hello again fellow readers! I, G2BattleConvoy have returned with another** _ **glorious**_ **chapter of Knights of Gjallarhorn. In this particular adaptation, we of course see Lieutenant Crank Zant's next course of action and of course, the continuing inspection of Mars' operations.**

 **For this one, I went into quite a bit of detail regarding what Michael does, but you know, sometimes nothing can be avoided. And I may have cheated for inspiration regarding a certain scene. I apologise if it seems cheap.**

 **So, anyway, let's continue and let's RAISE OUR FLAG!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Gundam**

"Dylandy, Erdest, Lieutenant Zant wants to know when you'll be done with his Graze!" Lieutenant Mercury shouted from the catwalk overseeing Hangar 3 of Gjallarhorn's Third Martian Outpost. The brunette officer was getting a little bit peeved as the aforementioned officer had requested that his Graze be refitted to his specifications as soon as possible, as well as the fact that Major Conrad had passed on word to the outpost to try and hide all evidence of the previous incident as soon as possible, before the inspection team from Earth started evaluating the surface outposts. Why that was the case was beyond her.

Barto Dylandy, the resident Military Engineer (and as such, the chief mechanic of this particular hangar) looked up from where he was installing a Nano-Laminate shield to the Graze's arm, which for some reason, had a large piece of red cloth hanging from it, as well. "Almost done with the shield, ma'am! Just need about another hour to double-check that the settings are perfectly calibrated!"

"See that they are, Dylandy!"

"Yes, Lieutenant Hera!"

"Erdest, how are you doing over there?" The aforementioned Weapons Specialist was still making adjustments to the arm that Crank would use his anti-MS axe in. He was still concerned about how the Lieutenant would prefer not to use a ranged weapon like the standard-issue GR-W01 rifle when it would make perfect practical sense to have one, just in case.

"Making the last adjustments now, Lieutenant! I'm still concerned; shouldn't Mr. Crank at least take a rifle?" he asked, while climbing down the ladder that was set up next to the large alcove that the Graze was stationed at.

"That is none of your concern, Corporal! You just get that Graze finished, and maybe you can bring the issue to Zant when he gets here!" After hearing a confirmation from the Weapons Specialist and letting him talk with Dylandy at the terminal, she started pondering while glancing at the newly-reworked Graze unit. _What the hell are you planning, Coral Conrad?_

* * *

"Here's a theory, Gaelio: What if whatever Major Conrad is hiding is actually related to one of the surface bases?" Michael asked his Seven Stars friend while Conrad was boasting to McGillis about how his Branch had not received threats that required 'high-alert responses' since the last inspection as the group were moving past the currently-locked down armouries that Ares had on board to keep supplies until needed by one of the surface outposts.

Gaelio, being openly curious about the suspicious nature of this particular inspection, replied, "Well, if that were the case, then we'd have to find a way to get down there for us to find out ourselves. I assume you have an idea for that?"

"Well, what about sending me down to the surface? As far as I'm concerned, he's paying more attention to the two of you, seeing as you're Specialist-Majors. And with all due respect, Gaelio, this is my first interplanetary inspection and besides, once I'm done the Major won't see his arrest coming. If his actions merit an arrest, that is."

"Well, Specialist-Major Fareed, I think that is essentially a summary of what we have been doing with our glorious Martian Branch since our last inspection. Now, I have some work to take care of, and you three would probably want to get some rest. Again, please do not hesitate to ask for anything; you are our esteemed guests after all," Major Conrad stated when Tapferin and Bauduin refocused their attention on the division commander, who had decided to take the opportunity to leave the three inspectors.

As soon as Coral Conrad was out of sight and earshot, Gaelio decided to ask McGillis, "So, McGillis, Michael here has suggested starting inspections on the surface outposts while we keep our Martian Branch commander busy. Should we let him? He could do with the experience."

"I think that whatever Coral's hiding might actually be on the surface, Major, so I asked myself, why waste time going through the data first when we could just have someone go down and check out the outposts. The more time we spend here, the less chance we have to find out what the hell Conrad is doing."

Processing the Specialist-Captain's proposal, McGillis once again started fiddling with one of the bangs of his golden hair. "You raise an excellent point, Specialist-Captain. And as an old proverb once said, 'Fortune favours the bold.'"

Gaelio, meanwhile, couldn't help but make a lighthearted joke. "Or, in this case, it would favour those who would take initiative."

"Indeed," McGillis agreed, but soon went to giving Michael some advice. "So, with that in mind, take a team from the ship with you, and be careful. Conrad is still the division commander, so tread lightly. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you on your first Mars mission."

Michael, in response, saluted, "Of course, Specialist-Major Fareed, I'll keep it mind."

* * *

"Everything should be ready for you, Lieutenant Zant," reported Lieutenant Mercury as Crank entered the hangar that contained his newly-refitted Graze. The red cloth that was requested had to be tucked inside the shield that was held in the Mobile Suit's right arm, while still containing the standard axe in the other arm.

Before the older First Lieutenant could get into the pilot seat used for controlling his Graze, Dylandy and Erdest had decided to move away from the green Mobile Suit that belonged to Crank. When he had gotten into said pilot seat, he turned to Lieutenant Mercury to ask her a question. "Hera, before I go, promise me something?" he asked, after some pre-operation checks were made on the machine.

"Lieutenant Zant?" said Hera, confused by the veteran's question. She had noticed before that the only person that he would call by their given name was the young Second Lieutenant Ein Darlton, apparently because he was taken under Crank's wing. She then started asking herself why he would do that.

"There are some good soldiers here, Lieutenant. Treat them well."

 _Now why the hell would he say that?_ Hera thought before she replied, "Of course, sir. You have my word."

* * *

At the landing pad that would normally accept orbital shuttles, an unexpected flight from Orbital Base Ares had arrived. As soon as the blue-tipped shuttle landed, the hatch opened to reveal Specialist-Captain Michael Tapferin, who was greeted by a squad of base security officers.

"Inspector, sir!" the team leader spoke as he saluted. "We weren't expecting you until later this week, uh…"

"That's Specialist-Captain Tapferin to you, soldier. I've decided to start the investigation on this base rather early, as there are three of us senior inspectors on this particular assignment. I actually hope you don't mind being kept on your toes. Now, before we begin," he explained as the small group of inspection personnel that accompanied him filed out of the shuttle, "I would like to know why there's a Graze outside when it should be in a hangar."

The Graze he gestured to in question was in a kneeling position while being supported by several wires. Over its apparently-bare eye sensor, a new helmet casing was being lowered onto it by a crane operated by a Gjallarhorn engineer. The officer that had greeted the Specialist-Captain could only chuckle nervously while the redhead crossed his arms. But before he could offer up an excuse,

"Jerid! What the hell is going on here?!" a woman in a senior officer's uniform yelled while approaching the two groups. When she noticed the blue colour on Michael's uniform, she immediately saluted, before backtracking on her words. "My apologies, sir, I didn't see you there. I assume you're from the Inspection Bureau?"

"Yes, I am. Specialist-Captain Michael Tapferin, by the way." He offered a hand in greeting, and once the female officer had shaken it, he glanced at her shoulder padding, taking note of her apparent rank. "So, I assume you are in command of this base, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, sir, First Lieutenant Hera Mercury at your service; I must apologise for my incompetent security chief's actions; we weren't exactly aware that a Terran representative was making his way down here," she complained while glaring at Jerid, the aforementioned security chief. The man could only scratch his head while looking away in a somewhat guilty fashion.

"You should really give your security personnel more credit, Lieutenant Mercury. Our team doesn't exactly have the highest opinion of Major Conrad, and I was sent down here in order to see whether he's telling the truth about there being 'no major incidents'. So, if anyone's at fault, it might as well be me." As soon as he said this, Michael analysed the stubborn Lieutenant in an attempt to read her reaction.

Hera, on the other hand, was somewhat caught off-guard with the Specialist-Captain's statement. She rationalised that there could only good news and maybe bad news. The good news being that she was not the only one to not trust the Major, with the possible bad news being her charged with aiding and abetting a corrupt Gjallarhorn commanding officer, when that wasn't even the case.

Recomposing herself, she said, "In that case, Specialist-Captain, I feel I must apologise. If you would to follow me, we can get this inspection started." When the group started to move for the base entrance, Michael ordered one of the junior inspectors to stay with the shuttle pilot. If any of the Mars Branch were indeed corrupt, he wasn't going to take any chances.

It wasn't long before they reached the complex's hangar, which was at this point Michael's main concern. A damaged Graze when there were no reports of anything warranting a deployment of Grazes in force? A team of security officers that were ridiculously on edge even though they should've been only mildly surprised, _at best?_ Not to mention the amount of wounded personnel that he managed to spot in the infirmary. Even without any concrete data, the evidence was apparently stacking against Major Coral Conrad.

"Here is our Mobile Suit hangar, Specialist-Captain. Unfortunately, we've had a few… maintenance-related problems with some of our Grazes. Major Conrad has been less than forthcoming on details of replacement parts, but—" the Lieutenant's words were cut off as the group were witness to a Graze walking out of the hangar before preparing to use its skirt-mounted thrusters to manoeuvre across the Martian sand. Because of this, Michael turned to the brunette Lieutenant with an unamused expression on his face. _Crap…_ was her only thought at this point.

"Lieutenant Hera Mercury," his words were, slowly enunciating them for effect. Looking around, he noticed that aside from the cradle that contained the rogue Mobile Suit, and the supposed missing cradle that the damaged Graze may have occupied, he had noticed one more cradle that was also missing. Clearly, he had decided to get straight to the point. "I want you to tell me exactly what is going on here, and I mean _everything._ "

"Well, there's not a lot I can tell you, sir. All I know is Captain Orlis Stenja and his team were sent down from Ares to pursue an objective that was on a 'need-to-know' basis. We were ordered to prepare three Grazes for ground combat and to have our full battalion of Mobile Workers under their command. After Lieutenants Zant and Darlton came back with two-thirds of our Mobile Worker personnel and only two of the requisitioned Grazes, Lieutenant Zant reported to the Major about apparently engaging 'child soldiers.' I only heard this from my men, so take that what you will. Not too long after, he requested for a shield with a large sheet of red cloth? And that was him leaving just now, sir."

"What about this other Lieutenant, Darlton?" Michael asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"He's still in a recuperation period, according to my medical staff. If you'd like, I could get him to answer some questions?"

Thinking for a second while stroking his chin, he quickly decided, "Not yet. First I'd like to know what _the hell_ happened out there. Lieutenant Mercury, I respectfully request the use of one of your Mobile Workers, outfitted for long-range surveillance, preferably with a microphone listening device. A Mobile Suit would instantly give away my presence thanks to its Ahab Reactor signature. Irei, get the others to start sifting through the data. If all goes well, I should be back before nightfall. And lastly, Lieutenant Mercury? Thank you for your cooperation." At this statement, Michael couldn't help but smile in gratitude, while the aforementioned officer called Irei had left the hangar with the rest of the inspection squad to find the archive room.

"You're most welcome, Specialist-Captain Tapferin. Dylandy, Erdest, you heard him! Get me a Mobile Worker with surveillance equipment, _on the double_!"

" _Yes, ma'am_!"

* * *

Meanwhile, aboard Orbital Base Ares, McGillis and Gaelio were apparently evaluating the officers in front of them, for the basis of how well-kempt their uniforms were. Coral was there as well, trying so hard not to appear paranoid. The attempt was not lost on the two Terran representatives, however.

A short series of bleeps resounded from Gaelio's belt, which prompted the crimson-clad Major to have a start. McGillis, on the other hand, started observing the division commander's movements yet again as his blue-haired friend checked his personal communication device, which was normally given to Gjallarhorn officers with command authority of their own (those from the Inspection Bureau were included), and as such was rarely found outside of it. There was one message and it read:

 _M. Tapferin: May have found a lead on our good friend from Ares. Personally investigating; will debrief once I have returned. Possible undisclosed threat to Mars Branch is implied._

"…Is there something wrong, Specialist-Major Bauduin?" the now-undeniably nervous Major Conrad asked. Gaelio only looked up, glancing quickly at McGillis before replying with a perfectly jovial smile on his face.

"No, not at all, Major Conrad. Everything's just fine." On his PCD, on the other hand was a completely different response.

 _G. Bauduin: Understood, Michael. Keep us updated on any developments._

* * *

It wasn't long before Michael had caught up with the rogue Mobile Suit. He had situated his Mobile Worker in a secluded spot so that he could observe what Crank was doing. He had noticed that the Mobile Suit in question was standing a good distance away from a downtrodden military base and just when he managed to finish setting up the microphone device and activating the long-range camera, an announcement from the experienced Lieutenant was heard, who was standing near the opened cockpit of his Graze near enough the shoulder. Michael and the Gjallarhorn officer that accompanied him, Barto Dylandy, were thankful that they had started recording immediately.

" _I am Crank Zant of Gjallarhorn's Front Line Troops. I wish to fight one on one with your representative. If I win, I demand that the captured Graze and Kudelia Aina Bernstein be handed over to us. Once the duel is settled and we receive the Graze and Kudelia, I will take care of everything from then on. I promise to end the grudge between Gjallarhorn and CGS here and now."_

 _So the operation that apparently occurred here was to apprehend Kudelia Aina Bernstein, the young woman who spoke at the Noachis July Assembly. What exactly was Coral thinking? Sure, she's famous, but Lord Iznario has not exactly deemed her a threat. The missing Graze is apparently here at this 'CGS' base, too. Not to mention Crank has challenged them for a Pre-CW* duel,_ thought Michael, as he surveyed the situation. Barto then decided to speak up.

"Uhm, sir? Is everything alright?"

"Well, Corporal, how do I put this? See that red cloth that Zant's Graze is holding? Apparently that is a symbol for calling for a duel between two noble combatants, which would happen quite a few times before the War. But, here's the thing; most duels were between _Mobile Suits_ , and our good friend's dialogue indicated that this 'CGS' indeed possess a Mobile Suit. So, how powerful was this Mobile Suit? Why does Major Conrad want the apprehension of a local Martian politician, one who has been described as not an actual threat to our endeavours? And why did he commit, for intents and purposes, an unsanctioned attack on a PMC complex which frankly _should not_ warrant Gjallarhorn's attention in the first place?" Michael asked the unsure Mobile Worker pilot who actually couldn't give a solid answer to his question.

After a nervous shrug and a few minutes of rather awkward silence, an old PA system squeaked into life, which didn't help the curious Specialist-Captain who winced in response to the harsh noise.

" _Sorry to make you wait. We humbly accept your challenge,"_ a young voice said in response to the Lieutenant's proposal. Michael was evidently expecting an older voice to answer, but at this point, he wasn't really thinking about his expectations on this foreign planet. He was only observing at this point, as a representative of Gjallarhorn's Terran capital.

Crank then responded with a brief "Thank you." Michael, meanwhile, then decided to check his watch before glancing back, through the long-range camera and then found something intriguing. So, the PMC _did_ have a Mobile Suit in their possession, but the actual Suit was like nothing he expected them to have. Clearly, expectations were the last thing on anyone's mind.

The Mobile Suit in question, as far as he could make out had a significantly different appearance to the Graze that Crank was willing to use. It was mostly of a white colour, with some blue on its upper torso, and also had red edgings on the feet. There were red markings that looked like a stylized isosceles trapezoid marked with a red line pointing upwards from near the centre. He had also noticed that one of its shoulder pads were missing and another one was painted an ugly green. _Perhaps it's retro-fitted from the captured unit?_ he asked himself, before taking a note of several pieces of the Mobile Suit being coloured a golden colour.

The head was most troubling. Unlike a Graze's head, which had a slight peak over its single optical sensor and was fairly minimalistic in design, this Mobile Suit had a humanoid head with two optical sensors and a red protrusion that could easily be called a chin. Most damning of all was a massive ornament that was atop its (open-faced?) helmet, which was looked like it was a horned piece of golden metal with a massive diamond crest just above the space between the two eyes holding it all together. _I've seen that before. Where have I seen that?_

"Uh, pardon me, Specialist-Captain, but how would you know of these duels?"

"I made it a point to study Calamity War history in my youth, Corporal. It always amazed me how humanity had been able to achieve such great things before being plunged into a massive war. And as far as I'm aware, we were the ones to stop it. And so, one of the rules I lived by was, 'Those who do not learn the mistakes of past are doomed to repeat them.' That is what I plan, Corporal, to ensure that the world _never_ makes the same mistakes _again_ ," he answered, before quipping, "And besides, it looks like we have front-row seats to a fight between two Mobile Suits. That rarely happens nowadays."

* * *

At sunset, the duel was about to commence: on one side was Crank's Graze, having his shield up and his axe ready to swing; on the other was the still-unidentified Mobile Suit, now holding a massive mace-like weapon which head had an oddly triangular shape. Before the duel would commence, both representatives would identify themselves and the clan they would represent.

"Gjallarhorn Mars Branch Front Line Troops, Crank Zant," the Gjallarhorn pilot proudly announced himself as, which would be redundant were it not an old tradition from these sparring matches.

"What? Well… CGS Third Group, Mikazuki Augus," was the somewhat awkward response from the child soldier that was chosen to fight against Crank. Once they announced themselves, there were a few brief seconds before the combatants went into a ready stance and braced for combative action.

Weapons were readied, systems calibrated and thrusters flared before both charged towards each other. "Here I come!" the veteran officer called off as his Graze bolted forward, leaving his symbol of truce behind. Their respective weapons then clashed, Crank's axe grinding against Mikazuki's strange weapon. After their blades met, Mikazuki then started swinging his mace back and forth, but the Graze's shield held strong from the blows, no doubt protecting the Suit from the damage that had befallen Captain Orlis Stenja on the day of the first encounter with the Mobile Suit.

"How do we decide the winner?" the CGS representative asked through his external speaker before striking again. The shield that his enemy was holding was still not giving out, and the young soldier was clearly trying to break it in order to advance his method of attacks. "Until one _dies_?"

"There's no need for that," Crank's response was before finally swinging down his axe. The bladed weapon was immediately blocked by the unknown Mobile Suit raising his weapon so that the axe landed on the rigid pole that the mace resided on.

"What Coral—No," Crank started before backtracking on his words as both Mobile Suits were locked with weapons against each other. "What _we initially_ wanted was only Kudelia's life. _Children_ should not be victimized for the mistakes that adults have made!"

"You've killed so many…" Mikazuki muttered while commanding his Mobile Suit to kick the Graze away from him. The impact caused some loose electrical discharge in Crank's cockpit. " _Forget it_. I was told by Orga. That I'm going to _kill_ you!" And so Crank had to bolster his defence even more so.

* * *

As the two Mobile Suits clashed once more, Michael noticed that the unknown Mobile Suit had rather human-like agility. He was wondering about which mechanism allowed for this kind of fluidity as Crank's shield was finally broken from an attack from above that was assisted by the Mobile Suit's hip-mounted thrusters.

"You know something, Corporal? These child soldiers have a strange form of _tenacity_ within them," he starting thinking aloud. "In order to continue, they must fight to survive." The unknown Mobile Suit then flanked Crank and then struck at his Graze's midsection.

"For _what_ , though, Specialist-Captain?"

"I think they have their own sense of honour. They would fight for not only their lives but for those of friends, family and comrades alike. But until today, I don't think they've had a _Mobile Suit_ that would be able to make a lasting difference. In fact, with that in mind, I would say they're not too different from the Gjallarhorn pilots that fought during the Calamity War."

"So, what does that mean, sir?" Corporal Dylandy asked as the Mobile Suits clashed in the background.

The Specialist-Captain merely smirked at the Corporal's question. "I think Gjallarhorn should be ready. We should prepare for the changes to the world this Mobile Suit would herald. But there's _something_ on the tip of my tongue, a _name_. I'm not entirely sure what is, but I _know_ it's there."

And once again, the two members of Gjallarhorn turned their heads to survey the rest of that battle.

* * *

Even after Crank had his shield destroyed and his midsection almost certainly crippled, his defence was still strong, parrying every strike that the white-and-blue Mobile Suit attempted. "Is he really a kid?" he said to himself as he kept up his defence.

"Let me tell you something," his young opponent said. "I've never been victimized for anything. I'm just doing what I can for me and my comrades." He prepared for another strike as he said this. "And now, you're in my way!" At this staement, Crank just couldn't understand why this kid could not see that he could have had something better and not be targeted by Gjallarhorn for the rest of their potential lives.

Mikazuki then proceeded to fire his Mobile Suit's thrusters in an attempt to charge through his opponent. Lunging forward, his attack was met with a valiant block from Crank's Graze's arm; though while it was destroyed by the mace's attack, Crank took the opportunity to go for an uppercut swing with his axe, which shattered the pole that the Mobile Suit was using. The pole in question was apparently recorded to land near a group of people, who were assumed by the observing inspector to be spectators for CGS.

With Mikazuki falling back, Crank moved for an attempt to at least disable his enemy, with him crying out a scream of anguish before attempting to swing his remaining weapon down. Mikazuki, on the other hand, managed to find the large mace-head that was lost thanks to Crank's earlier attack and then proceeded to thrust the mace towards the Graze's cockpit. A hidden stake then fired, shredding the Nano-Laminate armour, and going straight through the Ahab Reactor.

* * *

"Gundam."

"I… beg your pardon, Specialist-Captain?"

The young redhead then smirked as he realised the implications of this train of thought. "That's its name. It's _their_ name: Gundam. It makes so much sense; why would this Mobile Suit have such unforeseen responsiveness? Why such an unusual design? Don't you see, Corporal?" he asked as he turned to his companion. "Gundam was the collective name of the 72 unique Mobile Suits that allowed Gjallarhorn to end the Calamity War _300 years ago_. The only difference here is that this one may very well be an enemy."

"Meaning what, Specialist-Captain Tapferin?" the engineer that was currently Michael's pilot. He was unsure whether the inspector's rant was merely speculative, if perhaps a little insane.

"It means that the Gundam-Frames are going to be making a return, and that we will be witness to those powerful knights making a return to change humanity once again."

* * *

Pulling out the stake from the disabled Graze, some blood managed to splatter onto the Gundam-Frame's head, before it was commanded to pierce the Graze's helmet casing with its hand, bringing the Graze down to the ground. It then placed a knee onto the damaged Mobile Suit, keeping it down.

Crank, who miraculously survived this fatal wounding of his Mobile Suit, looked up as the Gundam-Frame stopped from bringing its fist down onto the Graze. He was trying to stop the bleeding of the wound he did manage to acquire, which already had blood splattered on his grey uniform and some of the panelling within his cockpit. He saw the Gundam-Frame's pilot climb out of the raised pilot seat, and noticed that the pilot was rather scrawny and small. He chuckled to himself before speaking,

"You really _are_ a child." His breathing was starting to get a little shaky, no doubt from the injury he had just suffered. He noticed that the pilot, Mikazuki had a pistol in his hand.

"Hey, what happens if I win?" he asked. "You didn't mention that. I didn't like it."

Crank thought for a second couple of seconds before breathing in, and explaining his reasoning; in order to get what he needed to say out, he needed every breath of oxygen he could get.

"I'm sorry; it wasn't that I underestimated you. I just didn't have that option. That's all," he explained. Before continuing, he considered his words carefully, so that at least this young pilot could understand what he was thinking. "I disobeyed a superior officer's orders. If I went back with negative results, my actions would've reflected poorly on my troops."

"…But if I can end my life here, I can carry all the responsibility with me," he spoke before receding to a coughing fit. Mikazuki had then decided to speak up.

"Don't talk anymore," he said simply, before Crank asked him for one last favour.

"I'm sorry, but can you lend me a hand?" he asked, making Mikazuki seem confused for just a second. "I can't even end my own life right now."

Considering his request, Mikazuki scratched his head briefly before looking at the bracelet on his left arm, before putting it behind his back and aiming the pistol at the wounded Lieutenant.

"Thank y—" were Crank's last words before three gunshots rang out throughout the Martian wasteland, and somewhere in a hidden spot, Crank Zant was confirmed KIA in service to Gjallarhorn's Mars Branch.

* * *

"So, what have you found, Specialist-Captain Tapferin?"

" _Sir, I have reason to believe that there is a legitimate threat against us. Not long ago, I managed to record a battle between a Graze belonging to First Lieutenant Crank Zant of Mars Branch's Front Line Troops and a Gundam-Frame apparently in the hands of a company called 'CGS,'"_ Michael reported to his superiors aboard Orbital Base Ares. The two were currently in a closed-off office so that Coral couldn't hear.

"Wait, a _Gundam-Frame?_ Are you sure, Michael?" Gaelio asked. It wasn't hard to think of Gundams as invincible warriors during the Calamity War, but one surviving after all this time? Aside from the Gjallarhorn-controlled vaults, there weren't really many places that could safely store a Gundam-Frame that long without it suffering from some form of decay over the 300 years since the War ended. Then again, he wasn't willing to call his fellow Seven Stars heir a liar.

" _I'm positive, Major Bauduin,"_ replied the Specialist-Captain. " _The Mobile Suit in question had impressive flexibility while engaging Crank, as well as possessing a lot more brute force in its attacks. The Suit was apparently piloted by a child soldier named Mikazuki Augus, and he seemed to take advantage of the Mobile Suit's potential capabilities very easily. The fight only occurred because Crank was willing to offer a challenge to them in the form of a pre-War duel."_

"Oh? Is that right?" McGillis asked Michael. _That system that would allow a child soldier to control a Mobile Suit, a Gundam-Frame at that, more effectively than Gjallarhorn's trained veterans still exists? I wonder…_ "Specialist-Captain, do you suppose that the pilot of that Gundam-Frame was augmented in some capacity?"

" _The thought_ had _crossed my mind, Major Fareed,"_ replied Michael after being slightly taken aback by McGillis's sudden question. McGillis smirked at his honest comment. Gaelio, on the other hand, looked confused by McGillis's sudden question.

"That's all for now, Tapferin. We'll be making a personal trip down to the surface in a short while to join you. Make sure things are in order before we arrive."

"Yes, sir, Specialist-Major Fareed."

* * *

 **And so we bring Chapter 3 to a close. Yes, Lt. Crank had to die, but something had to be shown in order to demonstrate the power of Barbatos. And, yes, Michael is a pretty big Calamity War nerd, like how some people in Real Life can actually study history of different wars. Let's call it a defining trait, yes?**

 **Also, any sane and non-corrupt Gjallarhorn officer should not trust Coral Conrad. And those PCDs? Downsized versions of the Ele-tablet in the vein of smartphones. And once again, Gjallarhorn can have them because they're f**king Gjallarhorn. End of line.**

 *** Pre-CW: Pre-Calamity War. But you probably knew that already.**

 **Tune in next time for more Knights of Gjallarhorn!**

 **G2BC out!**


	5. Chapter 4: Flowers that Never Wilt

**Hey, guys, G2BattleConvoy is finally back after a few good solid months (well, maybe 8, but who cares about details!), and I'm back with another new chapter! Yeesh, 5200 words for this one, which is fairly meaty. That says a lot about the future of this project!**

 **Of course, I have been making note of certain things that have been occurring in Season 2, and developing a little something to account for the lack of presence in Episodes 6-13, so that's my excuse.**

 **Anyway, onto Chapter 4 of Knights of Gjallarhorn, and let's RAISE OUR FLAG!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Flowers That Never Wilt**

It was the morning after the clash between the Gundam-Frame and Crank Zant's Graze had occurred, and despite the proposed threat of this 'new' Mobile Suit, the soldiers who were based on the Third Martian Outpost still went through their usual morning routines. Not even their guest from the Investigation Bureau was immune, and he was very much a perfect example of that, trying to overcome drowsiness with a cup of coffee.

He had barely managed to make himself one when one of the younger soldiers had grabbed his attention. "Sir, Lieutenant Mercury has requested for you to meet with her in her office."

Sighing with a tiny hint of frustration, Michael replied, "Thank you, soldier, I'm just not very good when it comes to mornings." Pausing for a moment to give out a yawn, he added, "Then again, being stuck on a shuttle for a few good weeks would definitely mess up one's sleeping hours. In fact, I bet Specialist-Major Fareed would expect me to be up this early anyway. Lead the way, Private."

Within five minutes, the two members of Gjallarhorn were standing in front of the office door belonging to Lieutenant Hera Mercury. The Private clicked the button next to the doorway to talk to the Lieutenant inside, informing her of Michael's arrival.

"Enter."

Once the door slid to the side, the Terran representative entered the room, allowing Hera the opportunity to politely dismiss the young enlisted officer to whatever duty he was assigned to originally. Taking a sip from his cup of coffee, Michael glanced at the datapad currently situated on Hera's desk. "Is that the report on CGS I requested?"

"I believe so, sir. Corporal Irei had it sent to my office, actually. The man must work fast," the brunette Lieutenant answered.

"Heh, you can give credit to Major Fareed for that one. He has a strange ability to get our subordinates to more or less push themselves past their own limits. So what have you brought me here for, even if I'm not entirely conscious yet?"

"Well, I was just sifting through CGS' financial reports, per your request, and I've found some interesting facts. There was a purchase of a large amount of excavation equipment from a local machinery shop a few years ago, and so I asked the Chryse administration about any large-scale movements involving said equipment at that time-frame. The site in question was large enough to account for something as large as a Gundam-Frame." was the Lieutenant's explanation.

Pondering on this new information, Specialist-Captain Tapferin's mind arrived at an important question. "So, how come it wasn't used until the attack by Captain Stenja's team?"

"The theory is that it _was_ used, just not as a combat unit. The records actually indicated that after the supposed recovery of the Mobile Suit, the company's profits more or less skyrocketed, while payments to the local power plants were suspiciously low." The large screen behind her chair lit up to display a graph of CGS' financial amounts, compared alongside the payments sent to Chryse's energy distribution companies, both marked with when the Gundam-Frame would have been recovered. There was only one thing that could be gathered from this.

"Hmm, it would appear that they were taking advantage of the Twin Ahab Reactor that was built inside of it. Not a bad way to save money," Michael quipped. "And the fact that they were willing to give up a most reliable source of energy means that they were desperate, which actually makes them _very_ dangerous."

"Sir, Conrad didn't know about the Gundam-Frame. If that wasn't his objective, then why was he sending troops to that base?" the Lieutenant asked, looking at the datapad she had on her desk.

Turning his head toward the brunette, he replied, "Have you heard of Kudelia Aina Bernstein by any chance, Lieutenant?"

"Only in recent news videos, Specialist-Captain; why do you ask?"

"Lieutenant Zant mentioned her name, while he was facing the Gundam-Frame in combat, naming her as their main objective for that first assault. It would appear that Major Conrad actually means to either kill her or remove her from the public eye somehow."

"Wouldn't that be a tad excessive, sir?" Hera responded, looking up confusingly at her Terran ally. "Considering that they attacked a private contractors' base."

"Actually, yes; just the Grazes would've been enough if our combat simulations are anything to indicate," Michael admitted, snapping his fingers to punctuate said admittance. "And if Coral's actions are unauthorised, then I can only imagine the look on his face when he's realised his mistake."

* * *

Meanwhile, high above the red planet of Mars, within the confines of Ares Orbital Base, Gaelio was casually sipping from a (beautifully crafted china) cup of tea, while his blond friend McGillis was checking over details in his inspection report and adjusting them when necessary. Engaging a conversation with the son of Lord Iznario, he said, "Your subordinates looked like they were about to die."

"Is that so?" McGillis simply replied, without turning away from the screen he was focusing on.

"If they're made to work at your pace, their bodies can't keep up," the upbeat Specialist-Major that was Gaelio reasoned. "Having too excellent a senior officer means a lot of trouble in that regard."

"I'll be careful," was McGillis' reply, but whether he was being sincere or sarcastic didn't seem to bother Gaelio that much.

Changing the topic, his next statement was, "He probably wanted to buy some time, but it'll no doubt surprise Coral," referring to how Major Conrad was trying way too hard to get the two inspectors to accept his version of the Ares Base's data, of which McGillis had denied at every mention.

Climbing up the stairs into the observation room/office was none other than the crimson-clad Major himself. "Thank you for coming in the morning, Specialist-Major Fareed, Specialist-Major Bauduin," was his greeting to the two Terran officers.

At this, Gaelio moved to McGillis' side to offhandedly comment quietly to him, "Speak of the devil." Afterwards, he raised his hand in response with a simple, "Good morning, Major."

"How is the work progressing? I must apologise, due to the blunder, we couldn't sort out the data in time for you. It must be hard for you to look through it, especially if I can't seem to find Specialist-Captain Tapferin anywhere." The Major's expressions during this pitiful attempt for an excuse included a rather shady grin on his face. Gaelio and McGillis, on the other hand, were not impressed.

"No. The examination of the data is almost finished," McGillis responded rather truthfully, registering a flinch from Coral which ended in a gritting of his teeth. "We'll soon be able to report the inspection results too. And Specialist-Captain Tapferin is chasing up a few specific issues at my request." Gaelio was clearly enjoying McGillis' interrogation of the division commander with a subtle grin on his face and turning his head away from the conversation.

"Oh, I see. That's good to know."

"By the way, something in the data caught our attention," McGillis informed the Major while placing the datapad down onto the desk.

"Huh? What would that be?"

"It appears that one company was sent out, but it never came back," McGillis inquired, but it immediately became clear that the Major already had an excuse.

"Oh, they're out subduing a riot," he stated rather confidently, hoping that'd be enough. Gaelio wasn't impressed.

"A riot? You mean the independence movement?"

"It's just the citizens venting their frustrations. But since there's been so many lately…," he attempted to explain with a bit of a nervous chuckle.

McGillis decided to offer a counter to that. "I've heard rumours on Earth as well. However, to need a force as big as a company to subdue them… I feel your pain," he stated the latter part in a mocking tone.

This earned another flinch from Coral, who managed to stutter out, "W-w-w-well, I've got a few matters to attend to. Please excuse me." While McGillis and Gaelio briefly exchanged glances in subdued response to Major Conrad's behaviour, the Major himself was briefly making his way to the exit before deciding on a possible alternative to get those inspectors off his case.

"Oh, by the way, is anything inconveniencing you?"

"Inconveniencing us?" was Gaelio's response, voicing both himself and McGillis' opinions on this sudden change of behaviour.

Coral decided to reach into his jacket in an attempt to fish out something from his inner pockets while he elaborated on his proposal. "If you need anything, while you are here… Well, it might not be much, but we could offer you something extra-"

McGillis, feeling insulted like the honourable man he was, sternly said, "If you are offering a bribe, we will be forced to arrest you." And thus was Conrad's third flinch as a response in the same day, rendering him speechless. "Please _restrain yourself_ , Major Coral Conrad."

"You're so mean," was Gaelio's response to the whole thing.

* * *

While Conrad was venting out his frustration with Majors Fareed and Bauduin by very stupidly bashing his head in a closed-off hallway (while blaming Crank along the way), Hera and Michael were currently making their way over to where Ein Darlton was situated, since both were concerned about his mental well-being. While Hera was more-or-less dead set on telling Ein the truth of the situation, Michael had some clear reservations about the entire scenario.

"Lieutenant, I appreciate the sentiment of letting Darlton know what happened at that complex, but the appearance of a Gundam-Frame that's been lost for 300 years is essentially highly classified information. I'm worried what'll happen if we tell him."

Hera sent an annoyed glare to her colleague from the Inspection Bureau, who stopped to meet her gaze. Crossing his arms he asked, "What is it, Lieutenant?"

"He's only a kid, Specialist-Captain."

"Ah, that's not the point, Lieutenant Mercury."

"Look, I may not know how things are supposed to work in Vingolf, Specialist-Captain Tapferin, but if anyone should have a right to know about what happened to Crank, it's Ein. The kid seemed to look up to him, for God's sake!" she fired back, clearly pissed that the Terran representative would consider keeping the existence of a Mobile Suit secret as a higher priority than a simple act of human decency. "Besides, he was there when it first appeared, so what difference does it make?!"

"Again, that's not-," Michael attempted to respond before he was interrupted by Base Security Chief Jerid calling out for Michael's name while running down the corridor towards the two of them, only to slow down to catch his breath when he caught up to them.

"Sir… Specialist-Captain Tapferin... Sorry to interrupt, but… Majors Fareed and Bauduin have confirmed that they'll be arriving in an hour," the security chief stammered while taking in large gulps of air. While he recovered, Michael decided to cut the debate between him and Hera rather short.

"Thank you, Sergeant. I'll see to that in just a moment," Michael replied, allowing the embarrassed security chief to give a tired salute and to start the return trip back to his post. Once that was done, he then confessed to the Lieutenant with an apologetic sigh, "Look, I don't like it as well, but you have to understand my reasons for not disclosing the nature of that mobile suit. But, seeing as this is your base, I won't hold it against you if you tell him."

Surprised by the redhead Terran's honesty, Hera asked one question, "While I appreciate the thought, Specialist-Captain, why have you decided to leave it to me?"

Shrugging, Michael's response to the base commander's question was, "I'm merely an inspection officer, Hera. It'd be outside my station to interfere with internal affairs unless it is necessary. Besides, having empathy is what allows others to understand the struggles of life. I'll be seeing you later." And with that, Specialist-Captain Michael Tapferin walked toward his temporary quarters, leaving the Lieutenant next to the door which would lead to the locker room where Ein was.

Hearing the door open, the young MS pilot quickly closed his fist around a small medal, turning his attention to the brunette officer. Shifting to stand to attention, he uttered nervously, "Lieutenant Hera, I—"

"It's alright, Darlton, you can be at ease. I heard from the medical staff that they're rather concerned about you," she replied, taking a seat next to Ein who had already sat back down. "Do you… want to talk?"

"…About what, ma'am?"

"You didn't exactly look pleased when our guest of honour came back from his little expedition, Ein," Hera pointed out, crossing her arms. Glancing to the rookie MS pilot, she then practically ordered, "Just tell me what's wrong, Darlton."

Looking at Crank's medal which was still resting in his hand, Ein started deliberating for what to say. Taking a quick breath, he started with: "I've been hearing rumours around the base. They're saying that he… was a coward. A _coward_! For supposedly deserting his post, and _yet I know better!_ " He was standing up now, clenching the medal in his fist tightly, and had more or less descended into a rant born of his own frustration.

"I asked him if I could accompany him before he went over to that base. He'd said that I'd only be a burden because of my injuries, and that was after we had overwhelming firepower on our side. And yet that Mobile Suit had the nerve to beat us back, on his own! Nothing that we know of could match that. And now I'm wondering whether I made a stupid mistake by letting him go on his own!"

"Ein…"

"If I had been allowed to join him, then maybe we could have completed the mission! And then maybe he wouldn't have been killed by that Mobile Suit!"

"EIN! Grieving over past mistakes never helps anyone. I'm not going to try to understand how you feel, but I know it happens a lot." Hera said while Ein decided to sit down, still clutching that little memoir of his superior officer. "Besides, how did you know?"

Sitting back on, Ein explained in a subdued tone of voice, "It's… the medal he gave me, ma'am. He gave me one of the few things that he'd earned for his service in the Mars Branch. I… I would have gone out to help if the inspector hadn't already come back, ma'am. …Lieutenant Crank isn't coming back, is he?" he asked while looking up at the Lieutenant.

Hera, for her part, was at a loss as to what do with the rookie half-Martian. On the one hand, the kid was really depressed, given his apparent respect towards the late Crank. On the other hand, it really wasn't her place to look out for someone who technically wasn't under her command. However, her conscience dictated that Ein needed help somehow and so she came upon on what she thought as a compromise, of sorts.

"I don't think so, Ein," she admitted, internally grimacing at the young Mobile Suit pilot, before saying, "I'll… see if I can get you another assignment, Ein." Turning around to head for the door, she was about to press the 'Open' button before Ein called out again.

"Lieutenant Mercury?" It was only for a second, but when Hera turned around, there was a small smile on the rookie's face.

"Thank you."

* * *

A couple of hours had passed, and the three inspectors from Earth had already gone out to find out where the supposed missing company from the Mars Branch Front Line Troops had ended up. Currently, they were overlooking a vast area of barren land not too far away from where Gaelio had parked the jeep they had borrowed from the Third Base.

"It truly is a barren land. But why are we here?" Gaelio asked his friend who was currently looking through a pair of binoculars, surveying the landscape for any clue as to what happened.

Smiling to himself, McGillis asked Michael, "Specialist-Captain Tapferin, would _you_ like to explain why we're here?"

Slightly bewildered as to why McGillis would ask him, Michael replied, "Hmm? Oh, well, it turns out that this area is where Lieutenant Crank Zant ended up fighting the Gundam-Frame. And it turns out that his objective was one Kudelia Aina Bernstein."

"Kudelia? The one responsible for the Noachis July Assembly?" Gaelio asked upon hearing the name of the so-called Maiden of Revolution.

"The one and the same, Gaelio," was Michael's answer.

"Actually, as we were leaving Earth, I heard she was negotiating with the Arbrau government on her own," admitted McGillis, and Gaelio's reaction was one of scepticism.

"What? No way. Someone from the Outer Sphere can't directly negotiate with an economic bloc of Earth." For the most part, Gaelio was right. As far as history was able to tell them, any negotiations between one of the Outer Sphere colonies and an economic bloc's government were heavily regulated and strictly controlled after the advent of the Calamity War. This was a natural consequence of placing the organisation that won the Calamity War in charge of all peacekeeping efforts and acting on behalf of all of the four economic blocs.

McGillis had found something, and he proceeded to show Gaelio by handing him the binoculars. With a quick scan, Gaelio had found a mound of rock which had an unnatural hole in the side of it. Slightly confused by its appearance, he asked, "What is that?"

Michael pondered, "Perhaps collateral damage from the fight?" While Michael was thinking on the terms of what happened between Crank Zent and the Gundam-Frame, McGillis had another thing to say.

"There was a report that there was a battle here a few days ago," he stated to his two fellow Seven Stars friends. Michael was surprised to hear that, for his next thought was, _So someone actually_ did _follow protocol. Heh, what do you know?_ McGillis' next statement was one that took the both of them by surprise. "And the day before that, Kudelia's father, Norman Bernstein visited Coral."

"Wait, so _her own father_ sold her out? That's… cold," was Michael's opinion on the matter. While Gjallarhorn was more or less trusted to keep things in check for the sake of humanity, he nevertheless felt a minimum amount of disgust for Norman Bernstein's apparent lack of concern for his daughter's well-being. Even if she was rightfully targeted, loyalty to members of one's own family was taken very seriously by the redhead.

"So, that means that Coral targeted her?" was Gaelio's obvious question. "That certainly explains what you said about Lieutenant Zant, Michael, not to mention where that missing company went."

"If they could get a hold of her, they would be in good graces with the Regulatory Bureau. Then they wouldn't have to worry about our inspection," was the spoken conclusion on this collective train of thought said by the son of Iznario Fareed.

"Assuming they could get a hold of her, and get rid of the evidence of their unsavoury methods," snarked Michael.

With a sigh of frustration, Gaelio responded, "I think we _all_ know that, Michael." Turning to McGillis, he asked his blond friend, "So, where to next, McGillis?"

"Physical evidence of the conflict may not be enough to convict Coral. We'll need some statements from a few civilians before we head back to the Third Ground Base. Michael, I assume you've been gathering evidence from your end?"

"Well, apart from video footage of the Gundam-Frame fighting Zant's Graze, and a statement from Lieutenant Mercury about what happened, there isn't much I can offer, sir. Should I give it to you before you head up to Ares?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, Michael, then yes, you can."

* * *

Before long, the Mars Branch jeep that was being driven by Gaelio was currently traversing down a dirt road that would take them near some local farms before heading into Chryse. While Michael was having a text chat with Hera about what to do with Ein, Gaelio decided to voice his frustrations about the investigation as a whole.

"We should just _interrogate_ Coral rather than investigating."

"He'll just act dumb," was McGillis' counter. "We need _concrete_ evidence."

"You're as fastidious as ever," said Gaelio, noting McGillis' strict adherence to the rules involving investigation of corrupt officers.

McGillis, on the other hand, simply explained, "That's my duty."

Michael, leaning between the both of them from his seat in the back of the car, after sending a message to Hera admitted, "Still, I'd like to give our _esteemed_ Major a piece of our minds. I'm sure just _one_ punch in the face wouldn't hurt."

"Oh, come on, Michael, you know it's not that simple, being inspectors and all," Gaelio said, understanding that he wasn't the only one wanting to teach Coral a lesson. He then changed the subject. "By the way, McGillis, I'm calling my sister tonight. How about you join me?"

"Almiria?" McGillis asked. Michael cocked his head in curiosity since he'd kinda wanted to know more about Gaelio's sister. Then again, he would pay more attention to Mobile Suits and the history of the Calamity War than whoever made up the other members of the Seven Stars' collective family.

"She won't shut up about not getting to see you. Our parents decided this, but your fiancée is merely 9 years old," Gaelio explained. McGillis glanced toward his periwinkle-haired friend while he said this. "You certainly have it hard."

"Wait, what? Your sister's _9 years old_ , Gaelio? And she's already been _engaged to McGillis_?!" Michael exclaimed. This was certainly news to him.

Gaelio noted his friend's surprise and admitted, "Oh, that's right. I haven't told you about Almiria, have I, Michael? You should come over with us once we've gone back, I bet she'd like you. And… yeah, I'm clearly not a fan of it."

"Don't worry about it too much, Michael. She's my friend's sister."

"Don't force it," warned Gaelio.

McGillis' counter to that was, "I'm not forcing it, my 'big brother.'"

That little statement made Gaelio exclaim in annoyance, which in turn made Michael smile. He leant back as the jeep rolled through the Martian dirt and retrieved his PCD from his dark grey jacket as he studied the conversation that had been going on between their PCDs. Sighing after looking over the message, he placed the device back inside his pocket and wondered just how they were going to sort out this mess.

* * *

"Why exactly are we going down this road, again? I don't recall needing to go to a farm," Michael asked Gaelio as the jeep drove down a road which was flanked by large fields of corn, which would be seen stretching down for several miles.

"It's just in case we don't get enough answers from Chryse, Michael. Honestly, you really should stop paying attention to Mobile Suits all the time!" Gaelio sighed upon hearing Michael's question.

"He can't help it, Gaelio," said McGillis. "While his infatuation with Mobile Suits may be disconcerting for some, he has shown great promise. Taking the initiative in finding out about that Gundam Frame, for example, may have proven fruitful."

"Oh? How exactly is finding out the existence of a 300-year-old war machine, that everyone seems to have forgotten about, by the way, helping us? Is there definitive proof that it _is_ a Gundam-Frame, Michael? For all we know, it could just be a heavily modified piece of- !" Gaelio started to ponder, only to take his eyes off the road, long enough to not notice two small children run out onto the road. Thankfully, McGillis noticed.

"Look out, Gaelio!"

Instinctively, Gaelio did three things. He pressed his foot on the brake, swerved the steering wheel to the left in an attempt to avoid hitting the children and blared the horn. This resulted in the jeep grinding to a halt at the side of the road, and a brief moment of disorientation for the three Terrans.

After noticing the children on the ground, who were also apparently twins, Gaelio said out of concern to Michael and McGillis, "I'll check to see if they're alright."

Once Gaelio had gotten out of the jeep, he asked, "Hey, are you guys alright?" when he was suddenly forced against the side of the jeep by a young boy that was rather short for the strength he had seemed to possess. The boy had a vice-grip on Gaelio's neck, choking him. Struggling to look down, Gaelio noticed the apparent fury in the boy's eyes.

"Ack… You… Gah, what are you doing?" he asked, being lifted slightly off his feet. While this was going on, Michael had scrambled outside the jeep from the other side, attempting to fish out a pistol he borrowed from the Ground Base in case anything happened.

He attempted to aim the gun at the kid, only to be interrupted by a high-pitched voice calling out, "Mikazuki! No, it's not what you think!"

While the both of them were still calling out for the kid to stop, Gaelio was desperately trying to call for help. "He…Help…"

"Hey, let him go!" Michael called out, prompting the black-haired kid to look towards the armed inspector. Just afterwards, he was knocked on the side of his head by an elderly woman who was rather scrawny herself.

"That's enough, you hasty fool." That was the moment when the kid had finally let go of Gaelio's neck, who was left to sputter and attempt to regain his breath.

"Miss Sakura," was the kid's reply, acknowledging his respect towards the woman. One of the twins had worked up the courage to speak.

"We ran out in front," she said, which her sister had added with, "That car avoided us!" At this, the boy had expressed some surprise, to which McGillis had the opportunity ti reveal himself and apologise as well.

"We were careless too. Let me apologise. You can lower your weapon, now, Michael."

At the Specialist-Major's request, Michael put the gun away with some confusion on his face, while using his newly emptied hand to scratch his head, slightly puzzled by the whole predicament.

"Hey! Cookie! Cracker!" another voice piped up, which belonged to a portly boy dressed in overalls and wearing a cap on his head, running up from a freshly cropped field. Beside him was a short and small, light grey-haired girl.

She asked, "What happened? Are you okay, Mikazuki?"

The more mild-mannered boy had seemed to stop for a brief few seconds noticing something before resuming into aa walk towards where the group were currently gathering. McGillis had noticed this, but he wasn't showing any signs of suspicion, while the small girl was checking the twins if they were alright.

"Well, then… I did…" the small boy had mumbled, while Michael had checked to see if his periwinkle-haired friend was alright.

"Are you going to be okay, Gaelio?"

At this, the small elderly woman named Miss Sakura had warned the boy who was named Mikazuki, "You're always like this when you get mad. Be careful."

"I'm sorry, Miss Sakura," Mikazuki tried to apologise, but Miss Sakura wasn't satisfied.

"You're apologising to the wrong person," she said, scolding him like he was a young child while walking away from the incident, muttering along the way.

Having learned his mistake, he sheepishly said, " Well… I'm sorry." Gaelio, unfortunately, didn't seem to accept it.

"You're _sorry_?" he repeated, and while McGillis had attempted to call his name in an attempt to stop him, Gaelio had decided to charge at the teen, who dodged his apparent attempt to attack him. The three Terrans had then noticed three little nubs on the teen's back. Once his punch was dodged, Gaelio had proceeded to turn around and ask the boy a question.

"Hey, you. What's that on your back?" While Mikazuki was somewhat confused by Gaelio's inquiry, Michael decided to answer for him.

"That would be an Alaya-Vijnana System." McGillis had crossed his arms while Michael said this, but his mind had arrived at the same answer, nonetheless.

Gaelio, however, was confused. "Alaya what?"

"It's an organic device system that is implanted within the human body, and it uses a form of nanomachinery in order to operate whatever equipment it can connect to."

"I've heard they still use such a system," was McGillis' addition to Michael's explanation. Gaelio didn't seem to like either of what they said, though.

"Implanting foreign objects into your body?" Once he finished that question, he had a feeling he needed to throw up and started walking back in the direction of the jeep, keeping his hands over his mouths while gagging.

"I'll make sure he's alright, McGillis," Michael said to his superior. While he went to keep an eye on his queasy friend, McGillis went to approach the twins.

The short girl who was accompanying them asked: "Excuse me…"

"I'm sorry to have frightened you," was his apology, while the larger boy with the cry had walked up to McGillis with a wary gaze aimed at him. "This is all I have," he added, producing a small bag of chocolate candies from his pocket, "but can you accept this as an apology?" At this point, McGillis had a soft, kind smile on his face.

It wasn't long before the twins' faces simultaneously lit up while they thanked him. "Thank you," said one while the other said, "Very much."

Their slightly taller friend also said a "Thank you."

"See a doctor, just in case," was McGillis' next piece of advice. If there's anything, call the Mars Branch of Gjallarhorn." He then took a few steps toward the jeep, before adding over his shoulder, "My name is McGillis Fareed."

He then asked the cap-wearing boy a question. "By the way, I want to ask something."

"W-What is it?" was the boy's sheepish question.

"It seems there was a battle around here recently. Have you noticed anything?"

"…Now that you mention it, I think I heard some shooting 2 or 3 days ago. But there's a paramilitary organisation nearby, so it might have been them training. Right?" he asked Mikazuki who replied with a simple "Yeah."

"I see. Thank you for your help. You," McGillis answered while asking Mikazuki something.

"Hmm?"

"Your reflexes were amazing. Have you done some training?"

"A few things," was Mikazuki's indifferent answer.

"I see. You'd make a great soldier," was McGillis' complement, and Michael and Gaelio had emerged once more.

"How about you let me drive, Gaelio?" he asked, which was replied with a simple nod, and as the three of them returned to the jeep, McGillis then said.

"I hope I see you again."

* * *

After spending a couple of hours asking some Chryse residents some questions after their brief accident at the farm, the three of them were heading back toward the Third Ground Base.

"As that man at the farm said," was McGillis evaluating statement, "a paramilitary group called CGS existed around that area. While Michael was silent for driving the jeep, Gaelio was a little stumped at McGillis' statement.

"Existed?"

"The owner and company name have changed," was McGillis' answer. "The new name is Tekkadan."

"What's so bad about that?" Gaelio questioned, although McGillis did more than answer said question.

"Was it just the name they wanted to erase? Or, is there something that has actually been changed within them?"

* * *

 **Whoo, quite a lengthy chapter, by my standards, but hopefully you guys enjoyed it. Aside from a little hindsight into Ein's mind, we also get some little development for Michael as well. I hope you guys are looking forward to what I have planned for him.**

 **As since it's that time, HAPPY NEW YEAR! And I'll see you guys in the next chapter.**

 **G2BC out!**


End file.
